Bed-movement for printing-presses



(No Model.) 5 Shets--Sheet 1. S. WHITLOGK.

BED MOVEMENT FOR PRINTING PRESSES.

No. 560,180. Patented May 12, 1896.

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S. WHITLOCK. BED MOVEMENT FOR PRINTING PRESSES.

No. 560,180. Patented May 12, 1896.

AN DREW B GRAHAM FHUTOUYHD WASHINGTONJ] C 5 Sheets-Sheet 3.

No. 560,180. Patented May 12, 1896.

ANDREW BYGRAMM Pnm'UUrHmWAsHmmu. a c

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

" S. WHITLOGK.

BED MOVEMENT FOR PRINTING PRESSBS.

Patented May 12, 1896.

6N0 Model.) 5 sham-sheet 5.-

} S. WHITLOGK. BED MOVEMENT PORPRINTING PRESSES. No. 560,180. PatentedMay-12, 1896.

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UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

STURGES WHITLOCK, OF SHELTON, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE XVIIITLOCK hAOHINE COMPANY, OF DERBY, CONNECTICUT.

BED-MOVEMENT FOR PRINTING-PRESSES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 560,180, dated May 12,1896.

Application filed December 23,1895. Serial No. 578,057. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, STURGES WniTLocK, of Shelton, in the county ofFairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement inBed-Movements for Printing- Presses; and I do herehy declare thefollowing, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings andthe letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of thisspecifition, and represent, in-

Figure 1, a view in side elevation of one form which a printing-presscontaining my improved bed-movement may assume; Fig. 2, a plan viewthereof, partly broken away; Fig. 3, a diagram showing the relativemovements of the cylinder and bed; Fig. 4:, a view in side elevation ofone of the modified forms which my improved bed-movement may take Fig.5, a plan view thereof.

My invention relates to an improvement in bed-movements of the cranktype for printing-presses of that class which have theirimpression-cylinders driven at a uniform rate of speed, the object beingto produce a simple, compact, and effective device constructed withparticular reference to fewness of parts, cheapness, ease of attentionand repair, and efficiency.

IVith these ends in view my invention consists in the combination, in aprinting-press, of an impression-cylinder, means for revolving the sameat a uniform rate of speed, a reciprocating type-bed, and drivingconnections for the said bed, including a crank, and also includingmeans for modifying the motion of the crank to conform the centralportion of the motion of the bed to the motion of the cylinder, and toimpart to it a differentiated movement near the ends of its throw.

My invention further consists in abed-movement having certain details ofconstruction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafterdescribed, and pointed out in the claims.

In carrying out my invention, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, I furnishthe main drivingshaft A of the press with a small pinion B, located atits inner end and meshing into a gear C, mounted upon a shaft D,carrying an elliptic gear E, which in turn meshes into another ellipticgear E, mounted upon a shaft F, the opposite end of whichis furnishedwith a crank G, to which is attached the bed-pitman II, the outer end ofwhich is forked for the reception of the multiplying-gear I, locatedbelow and meshing into a rack J, secured to the under face of thereciprocating type-bed J, and also meshes into a stationary rack Jlocated opposite the rack J aforesaid and secured to the frame K of thepress. The main shaft A, before mentioned, is furnished with abalance-wheel L, with driving-pulleys M and M, and with a smallgear-wheel N, which meshes into a large gear-wheel N, which in turnmeshes into a gear N mounted upon one end of the shaft 0 of theimpression-cylder O,whereby the same is driven at a uniform rate ofspeed. It will be seen from the foregoing that in the construction shownby the said figures of the drawings the power for driving the type-bedand printing-cylinder is taken from the same shaft.

For reducing the momentum of the typebed at the ends of its stroke I bypreference locate cylinders P and P in line with each other, but atopposite ends of the machineframe K, the said cylinders respectivelyreceiving pistons Q and Q, located at the ends of a piston-rod Q whichis mounted in a hanger Q depending from the type -bed. hen the piston Qenters the cylinder P, the air therein is compressed, with the effect ofcushioning the action of the type-bed at one end of its stroke, whilewhen the piston Q enters the cylinder P the air therein is compressedand the momentum of the type-bed reduced at the other end of its stroke;but it is not imperative that these .cylinders and pistons should beemployed, although my device is peculiarly well adapted for their use.

By varying the forms of the elliptic gears exactly the right relation ofreciprocation in the type-bed to the revolution in theimpression-cylinder is secured, whereby the bed and cylinder are causedto have the same speed when the printing is being done.

For illustration of the movement of the type-bed and cylinder I haveintroduced a diagram, which appears as Fig. 3 of the drawings. In thisdiagram the line It represents the path of the type-bed and the line BIOO represents, diagramatically, the path of the impression-cylinder. Bymeans of correctlymade elliptical gears I am enabled to move thetype-bed between the points a and a on the diagram, the said pointscovering the central portion of the throw of the bed, at exactly thesame rate of speed as the impression-cylinder moves in its revolution;but from the point a to the point a at one end of the stroke of thetype-bed and from the point Ct to the point a at the other end of thestroke of the bed, the said points covering the ends of the throw of thebed, the same has an unequal or differentiated or what is equivalent toa crank motion. Thus the bed moves gradually slower from the point a tothe point a and from the point a to the point (1 and gradually fasterfrom the point a to the point a, and also gradually faster from thepoint a to the point (1. These differentiated movements constitute thereversing of the bed at each end of its stroke. The movement of the bedbetween the points a and a in either direction and the points a and a ineither direction is slower than the movement of the bed between thepoints a and a in either direction, so that I am enabled to operate thebed at a high speed. I am also able to confine the crank or endmovements of the bed into a play under which an air spring or cushionwill operate to the best advantage.

It is apparent that in carrying out my i11- vention the particular meansshown and described for moving the type-bed at a uniform rate in thecentral portion of its throw and at a differentiated rate at the ends ofits throw may be varied.

One of the modified forms of my improved bed-movement is shown in Figs.at and 5 of the drawings, in which the main shaft S is furnished withdriving-pulleys S S, a gear S which communicates motion to the im=pression-cylinder S and a gear S meshing into a larger gear 8, mountedupon a horizontal shaft S, journaled at its outer end in themachine-frame S and supported at its inner end in a depending bearing SThe inner end of the shaft S is provided with a crank T, having a pitmanT connected to its outer end,the opposite end of the said pitman beingforked to embrace a multiplying-gear T which has the form of an annulus,in the central portion T of which is located a closelyfitting disk U,also embraced by the forked end of the pitman, which is eccentricallyconnected with it by means of a pin U. The said disk U is provided witha rearwardlyprojecting arm V, furnished at its outer end with anantifriction-roll V, entering and traveling back and forth in adoubly-curved cam-path V formed in an upright frame or plate V rigidlysecured to the machineframe S. The particular curvature of the path Vwill be determined by the size of the impression-cylinder S and willmodify the normal action of the crank T and pitman T,

so that the multiplying-gear T will move the type-bed IV at a uniformrate in the central portion of its throw and at a differentiated rate atthe ends of its throw in substantially the manner illustrateddiagrammatically in Fig. 3 of the drawings already described. Themultiplying-gear, I may add, meshes into a rack IV, fixed to the lowerface of the typebed, and also into a rack V located opposite the rack IVand fixed to the frame S of the machine.

Still other ways maybe resorted to for modifying the actionv of thecrank, so as to make the movement of the type-bed in the central portionof its throw uniform with the movement of the impression-cylinder.

I have spoken of modifying the action of the crank, which transmits themotion imparted to it without further modification other than change ofdirection to the typebed. In using the language modifying the action ofthe crank therefore I mean to convey the idea that the crank doesnothave the action which cranks ordinarily have, but a modified orunusual action. The modification of the action of the crank I secure bythe elliptic gear mechanism or the doubly-curved cam-path mechanismherein described, those mechanisms operating to modify the rotarymotiontransmitted to them from the rotary driving-shaft and to transmit thatmodified motion without intrinsic variation through the medium of thecrank-shaft to the type-bed. Of coursethe modified rotary motionproduced by the elliptic gears is transformed into reciprocating motionby the crank, which merely changes the direction of motion withoutfurthermodifying it. So, too, the doubly-curved cam-path modifies therotary motion of the driving-shaft, and the crank transforms the motionthus modified into reciprocating motion; but that is only a change ofdirection and involves no further modification of the motion. It will beunderstood, therefore, that the crank-shaft does not further modify themotion, but only changes its direction and transmits it without furthermodification to the type-bed. I would therefore have it understood thatI do not limit myself to the construction shown and described, but holdmyself at liberty to make such changes as fairly fall within the spiritand scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a printing-press, the combination with an impression-cylinder,means for revolving the same at a uniform rate of speed, a reciprocatingtype-bed, and driving connections for the said bed including a crank,and also including means for modifying the motion of the crank toconform the central portion of the motion of the bed to the motion ofthe cylinder, and to impart to it a diiferentiated movement near theends of its throw, sub: stantially as described.

2. In a bed-movement for printing-presses, the combination with the bedthereof, of power connections for reciprocating the said bed to move thesame at a uniform rate in the central portion of its throw, and at adifferentiated rate at the ends of its throw, including a crank and twoelliptic gears, substantially as described.

3. In a bed-movement for printing-presses, the combination with the bedthereof, of means for reciprocating the said bed, including two ellipticgears, a crank, a pitman, a multiplying-gear attached to the outer endof the pitman, a rack connected with the bed and taken into by the saidmultiplying-gear, and a fixed rack also taken into thereby,substantially as set forth.

4:. In a printing-press,the combination with the main shaft thereof, ofan impression-cylinder, driving connections between the said shaft andcylinder, a reciprocating type-bed, and driving connections between thesaid main shaft and bed, including a crank, and also including devicesfor modifying the action of the crank to move the bed in the centralportion of its throw at a rate uniform with the movement of theimpression-cylin der, and at a differentiated rate at the ends of itsthrow, substantially as described.

5. In aprinting-press,the combination with the main shaft thereof, of animpression-cylinder, driving connections between the said shaft andcylinder, a reciprocating type-bed, and driving connections between thesaid main shaft and bed, including two elliptic gears constructed andarranged to impart movement uniform with the movement of the cylinder,to the bed, throughout the middle portion of its stroke, anddifferentiated movement at the ends of its stroke, substantially as setforth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscrib ing witnesses.

' STURGES VI-IITLOCK.

Vitnesses:

FRED.'C. EARLE, LILLIAN D. KELsEY.

